26 Friday, August 3, 1984 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS JUST ASKING... Our award winning designer can provide you with the plan that will enhance your home's quality as well as its value. Jewish classes for special kids BY ELLYCE FIELD Special to The Jewish News LANDSCAPE BY 5111111DM. SINCE 1955, THE FINEST QUALITY IN: • Design and - construction of residential and commercial landsacpes • Decks • Re-landscapes •Retaining walls • Pool plantings • Brick patios And Now presenting INTERIORSCAPE, specializing in commercial and residential indoor plants. sminoin LIMOSUIPING Visa accepted! 18340 Middlebelt, Livonia Jim Jones Designer Mark Cetnor Horticulturalist 476-1735 or 477-6868 Hans 0. Hansen, owner a Gift fi r eternity Eternity Bracelet • Eternity Necklace Diamond Studs A gift she will treasure for- ever and ever ...A gift for Eternity • Established 1919 AWARDED CERTIFICATE BY GtA IN GRADING & EVALUATION IIEMOLOCAT/INAMONTOLOGIST "Retail courtesies at Wholesale Prices" . nee Telegraph Rd. lirmingham, MI 48010 Suite 104/134 Phone: 642-5575 Belly to 510 lime** sit. till Our seven-year-old son is mentally impaired. Are there any Jewish programs for mentally or emotionally impaired children? "Our goal is to provide a Jewish education for every Jewish child, to educate each child to his potential." These words, spoken by Bayla Landsman, special education coordinator for United Hebrew Schools, ex- plains the dedication and determination underlying three area special education programs. Temple Beth El's Pro- gram for Exceptional Chil- dren and United Hebrew School's Special Education Program receive funds from a grant by; the. Norman Shulevitz Foundation of the Jewish Welfare Federation. Both programs accept children with mental or emotional impairments. They offer individualized instruction, experiential learning and a support sys- tem for parents of special children while providing these families with a neces- sary link to the Jewish community. A related special program is housed at Yeshivath Beth Yehudah for children with learning disabilities who would like an Orthodox day school education. "P'tach," the acronym for "Parents for Torah for all Children," is a national organization which provides special as- 8i-stance for children with learning disabilities. With this extra help, children, kindergarten through 12th grade, are mainstreamed into the regular curriculum as much as possible. How- ever, the program does not accommodate children with emotional or mental im- pairments. Interested par- ents should call Rabbi Nachman Kahn, 557-6750. Mrs. Rose Werney, coor- dinator of Temple Beth El's Program for Exceptional Children, is a sensitive, enthusiastic woman with a mission. Eight years ago she recognized that parents of disabled children needed a synagogue or temple which would educate spe- cial children and accept these families into the mainstream of congrega- tion life. Working on her master's thesis at the time, she chose as her topic, "Education for Exceptional Children in Religious School." Together with the rabbis she put to- gether a curriculum, re- cruited teachers-and volun- teers, and in 1977 began servicing eight children. This fall, the program will accommodate 16 stu- dents; the youngest is six, the oldest 22. Four teachers and many volunteers use three classrooms and meet Shown making a holiday project at Temple Beth El are, from left, Abbey Katchke, Steven Ludwig, an unidentified student, and Kevan Shink at right. once a week on Saturday. Their morning includes a lesson: At 11 a.m. the chil- dren and their teachers join the congregation for Shab- bat services. The program focuses, primarily on an active, sera= sory Judaism, vibrant in song, holidays, food, crafts and stories. Conversational Hebrew is taught and chil- Several programs aid Jewish children with special needs. . dren who are able also learn to read Hebrew. From the program's be- ginning, Mrs. Werney has worked to mainstream her students, while educating and sensitizing students from the main program to the needs and individuality of special children. She in- stituted a program named "Chaverim" in which seventh and eighth grade students may spend one school year acting as "chaverim" or friends to her students. Attending only the special education classes, the chaverim par- ticipate in the learning ex- perience, sometimes acting out stories., creating visual aids or offering individual assistance. They also must complete three reports on handicaps and adhere to a strict attendance policy. Mrs. Werney's program has grown along with the needs of her special stu- dents. Students receive in- struction for their bar or bat mitzvahs and participate as fully as they are able. Dur- ing the next school year there will be four children preparing for this sinicha. New this coming school year is a program preparing approximately:, four 20- year-old students foi` their confirmatiOn Modeled filter the main curriculum; tend tailored to their needs, the confirmation class will cul- minate in a special confir- mation program. Mrs. Werney urges par- ents of disabled children to become involved as early as possible in their children's Jewish education. Her par- ents' group has always been close knit and supportive. They enthusiastically par- ticipate in all school pro- grams: Pesach Seder, Shab- bat dinner, plays, parties and field trips. There are many benefits for the children in Temple Beth El's Program for Ex- ceptional Children. They grow as individuals, form close 'friendships and de- velop their Jewish identity. Mrs. Werney explains, ey practice what the `VI Torah teaches about how to treat another human being. They care so much about One another and look for- ward to seeing each other." The Program for Excep- tional Children is open to Temple members and non-members. Interested parents should call Mrs. Werney, evenings at 355- 3145, or the Temple office, 851-1100, and ask for Alan Waldman, Temple Beth El's religious school director. Mrs. Bayla Landsman, special education coor- dinator for United Hebrew Schools, is determined to offer a meaningful Jewish education.to "anyone who presents himself and has a need." She, oversees a pro- gram of 27 students who range in age from 7 to 18 years and are either emo- tionally or mentally im- paired, or learning disabled. The UHS Specie Educa- tion Program caters to indi- vidual needs, grouping children according to their abilities. Children attend either once or twice a week. Using a multi-sensory ap- proliCh, the students touch, see, feel and hear Judaism. Music and drama are expe- cially important. .4frs.- Landsman stresses Continued on Page 30